Thrown, amid drooping Lilies, fwells the Breeze
With Sighs unceasing, and the Brook with Tears.
Thus in foft Anguish he confumes the Day,
Nor quits his deep Retirement, till the Moon
Peeps thro the Chambers of the fleecy Eaft,
Enlighten'd by degrees, and in her Train
Leads on the gentle Hours; then forth he walks,
Beneath the trembling Languish of her Beam,
With foften'd Soul, and wooes the Bird of Eve 1035
To mingle Woes with his or while the World
And all the Sons of Care lie hush'd in Sleep,
Affociates with the midnight Shadows drear ;
And, fighing to the lonely Taper, pours
His idly-tortur'd Heart into the Page,
Meant for the moving Meffenger of Love;
Where Rapture barns on Rapture, every Line
With rifing Frenzy fir'd. But if on Bed
Delirious flung, Sleep from his Pillow flies.
All Night he toffes, nor the balmy Power
In any Pofture finds; till the grey Morn
Lifts her pale Luftre on the paler Wretch,
Exanimate by Love: and then perhaps
Exhaufted Nature finks a while to Reft,
Still interrupted by distracted Dreams,
That o'er the fick Imagination rise,
And in black Colours paint the mimick Scene.
Oft with th' Enchantress of his Soul he talks;
Sometimes in Crouds diftrefs'd; or if retir'd
To fecret-winding flower-enwoven Bowers,
Far from the dull Impertinence of Man,
Juft as he, credulous, his endless Cares
Begins to lofe in blind oblivious Love,
Snatch'd from her yielded Hand, he knows not how,
Thro Forefts huge, and long untravel'd Heaths 1069
With Defolation brown, he wanders waste,
In Night and Tempeft wrapt; or shrinks aghaft,
Back, from the bending Precipice; or wades
The turbid Stream below, and strives to reach
The farther Shore; where fuccourless, and fad, 1065
She with extended Arms his Aid implores,
But strives in vain; borne by th' outragious Flood
To distance down, he rides the ridgy Wave,
Or whelm'd beneath the boiling Eddy finks.
These are the charming Agonies of Love,
Whofe Mifery delights. But thro the Heart
Should Jealoufy its Venom once diffufe,
"Tis, then delightful Mifery no more,
But Agony unmix'd, inceffint Gall,
Corroding every Thought, and blafting all
Love's Paradife. Ye fairy Prospects, then,
Ye Beds of Rofes, and ye Bowers of Joy,
Farewel! Ye Gleamings of departed Peace,
Shine out your last! the yellow-tinging Plague
Internal Vision taints, and in a Night
Of livid Gloom Imagination wraps.
Ah then instead of love-enliven'd Cheeks,
Of funny Features, and of ardent Eyes
With flowing Rapture bright, dark Looks fucceed,
Suffus'd, and glaring with untender. Fire, 1085
A clouded Afpect, and a burning Cheek,
Where the whole poifon'd Soul, malignant, fits,
And frightens Love away. Ten thousand Fears
Invented wild, ten thousand frantic Views
Of horrid Rivals, hanging on the Charms
For which he melts in Fondness, eat him up
With fervent Anguish, and confuming Rage.
In vain Reproaches lend their idle Aid,
Deceitful Pride, and Refolution frail,
Giving falfe Peace a Moment. Fancy pours,
Afresh, her Beauties on his bufy Thought,
Her first Endearments, twining round the Soul,
With all the Witchcraft of enfnaring Love.
Strait the fierce Storm involves his Mind anew,
Flames thro the Nerves, and boils along the Veins : While anxious Doubt diftracts the tortur'd Heart; For even the fad Affurance of his Fears
Were Peace to what he feels. Thus the warm Youth,
Whom Love deludes into his thorny Wilds,
Thro flowery-tempting Paths, or leads a Life
Of fever'd Rapture, or of cruel Care;
His brightest Aims extinguifh'd all, and all
His lively Moments running down to wafte
BUT happy they! the happiest of their Kind! Whom gentler Stars unite, and in one Fate
Their Hearts, their Fortunes, and their Beings blend.
"Tis not the coarser Tie of human Laws,
Unnatural oft, and foreign to the Mind,
That binds their Peace, but Harmony itself,
Attuning all their Passions into Love ;
Where Friendship full-exerts her foftest Power,
Perfect Esteem enliven'd by Defire
Ineffable, and Sympathy of Soul;
Thought meeting Thought, and Will preventing Will,
With boundless Confidence: for nought but Love 1120
Can answer Love, and render Bliss fecure.
Let him, ungenerous, who, alone intent
To bless himself, from fordid Parents buys
The loathing Virgin, in eternal Care,
Well-merited, confume his Nights and Days:
Let barbarous Nations, whose inhuman Love
Is wild Defire, fierce as the Suns they feel;
Let Eaftern Tyrants from the Light of Heaven
Seclude their Bofom-flaves, meanly poffefs'd
Of a meer, lifeless, violated Form:
While Those whom Love cements in holy Faith,
And equal Transport, free as Nature live,
Difdaining Fear. What is the World to them,
Its Pomp, its Pleasure, and its Nonfenfe all!
Who in each other clasp whatever fair
High Fancy forms, and lavish Hearts can wish;
Something than Beauty dearer, fhould they look
Or on the Mind, or mind-illumin'd Face,
Truth, Goodness, Honour, Harmony, and Love,
The richest Bounty of indulgent HEAVEN.
Mean-time a smiling Offspring rifes round,
And mingles both their Graces. By degrees,
The human Bloffom blows; and every Day,
Soft as it rolls along, fhews fome new Charm,
The Father's Luftre, and the Mother's Bloom.
Then infant Reason grows apace, and calls
For the kind Hand of an affiduous Care.
Delightful Task! to rear the tender Thought,
To teach the young Idea how to fhoot,
the fresh Inftruction o'er the Mind, 'To breathe th' enlivening Spirit, and to fix
The generous Purpose in the glowing Breast.
Oh speak the Joy! ye, whom the fudden Tear
Surprizes often, while you look around,
And nothing strikes your Eye but Sights of Blifs, 1155
All various Nature preffing on the Heart :
An elegant Sufficiency, Content,
Retirement, rural Quiet, Friendship, Books,
Eafe and alternate Labour, useful Life,
Progreffive Virtue, and approving HEAVEN.
These are the matchless Joys of virtuous Love;
And thus their Moments fly. The Seasons thus,
As ceafelefs round a jarring World they roll,
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